This past week I took my graduate Native Woody Plants class on a field trip to Tyler Arboretum. Visiting arboreta represents a hallmark for the graduate students – to visit another place helps prove their identification skills. But, there were many other plants they had not learned – those that are non-native that are used in the landscape. ​

​Then we saw the native winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata) (to the right) in fall color and fruit.  The cold weather had not gotten to the foliage yet.  Usually the leaves begin to turn black on the shrub and quickly fall off.  The birds hadn’t gleaned it either.  We were fortunate to see this amazing display of berries!
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​A view of Tyler Arboretum from the pond (to the right) looking back at the house.  The fall colors waning – it is delightful to visit in any season.

​The native state champion tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) (to the left) sits just outside the gates of the arboretum and can be observed just past the witchhazels (Hamamelis spp.) The trunk of the tree is mammoth and only sits feet from the roadway that leads up to the entrance to the arboretum.  I am always in awe at the sight of old trees – wondering what they have seen in their lifetime. 

​As we continued to walk through the arboretum we found this perfectly shaped Japanese cryptomeria (Cryptomeria japonica) (below). The students loved its amazing shape and were happy to learn about it. In Japan, the wood is highly valued for building and has a welcoming fragrance.  The wood is disease and insect resistant and there are many cultivars of the tree. 

​ Our native red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) (below) was a welcomed sight to the class.  Unmistakable - with its fire engine red leaves and berries.  The plant is fabulous when planted en mass to make an eye-popping attraction and is ideal to replace our non-native invasive burning bush (Euonymus alatus).  

The Delaware River and the canal meet up creating an infinity line where the waterfall meets the river. 

​I call these fall walks color bathing. The intensity of the tree colors that remain, reflect off the skin and the eyes soak in the brilliance, shifting any negative energy one might have into a positive flow.  The longer I walked the better I felt as I looked above me and to both sides of the trail. 

​I know in Japan there is a practice called tree or forest bathing – walking in green to improve one’s health and overall mental outlook.  The green color is calming but the color bathing of gold, orange and red is something that I just can’t explain – it takes tree bathing to an entirely different level.  I smile from ear to ear!  The trees are showing their true colors and I am soaking it all in, every last morsel before the cold winter sets in. 

​The staghorns from the staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) were in great abundance.  Their deep, velvety, crimson color popped against the golden leaves of Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) and its red berries with orange coverings framed the wonderful plumes.  The horns make a luscious tea - high in vitamin C. ​

Sources
To read more on the…

Delaware and Raritan Canal
http://www.dandrcanal.com/ 
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Japanese tree or forest bathing
http://www.hphpcentral.com/article/forest-bathing
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The response of color on the eye
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/light/U12L2b.cfm

Bumblebee pollinating swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

​One thing that I never take for granted - nature and her miracles that appear each and every moment if we are willing to take the time to stop and gaze at a bumblebee pollinating swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) or a tiger swallowtail butterfly sipping nectar from a bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora).  Things that seem to be small which happen to be much greater than we could ever imagine.  Just the mere act of a bee transferring pollen from one plant to another sets in motion an action that could create the next resistant plant, or one with a new colored flower.  Things that we should not take for granted.  

​Or it could be the quick dip in temperature that shifts a cell division to create an entirely new DNA with in a plant’s cell creating an entirely new variety. The tiny unseen things that occur in nature – later appearing as a new and 

​Fall is a special time of the year!  It seems that the fall display begins with the shift in the clarity of the sky as temperatures begin to cool and the moisture in the atmosphere is reduced from the hazy days of August. I like to assess my garden – take pictures and note what has done exceptionally well in our weather conditions.  The short-pappus goldenrod’s (Solidago sephacelata ‘Golden Fleece’) bloom is earlier than usual by a few weeks.  It looks beautiful in the containers on my patio. The coneflower (Echinacea ‘Vanilla Cupcake’) has stolen the show for the last two months – they are blooms that are sturdy and almost everlasting. It started blooming in July and is still creating a show.  

​In my small tub water garden, the blue waterlily (Nymphaea ‘Margaret Mary’) continues to push forth its blooms. It has flowered almost every day since I brought it home in July. Even though it is a tropical waterlily, it can be treated like an annual or taken in for the winter months.  I think I will just take in the large tub and put it by my sliding doors to get optimal light during the winter months – which includes a small school of fish. 

​The coleus have reached mammoth proportions creating a wonderful bold visual. But, the big prize in my garden this year without question is the Mandevilla vine (Dipladenia Rio™ Deep Red).  I have had this plant for several years, each year getting bigger than the last – providing rich, deep red blooms throughout the summer.  I’ll take it to my office at the university when the temperatures start to dip below 50 degrees.  It usually becomes a conversation piece when students and colleagues come in to chat.  But, the flowers do eventually fade due to lower lighting conditions.  I will enjoy it all winter as it continues to vine up its post – I will look forward to its blooms next growing season.